s/v Nine of Cups A Visit to an Embera'Puru Village June 2008

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We were  looking for something fantastic to do with Fay & Doug for their last day in Panama with us. I sought out Trip Advisor's Top 10 Things To Do in Panama City. We had done several of the 10...we transited (rather than just saw)  the Panama Canal and did a walking tour of Casco Viejo (the old city), but the #1 thing to do was an Embera'Puru village tour. All in favor...Say Aye. Unanimous...so off we went!

Our Embera helmsmen were waiting for us by the river. The ride was about 2 hours long and sometimes the river was  so shallow, we all jumped out to coax the canoe along.

When we reached the river pick-up point, we stocked up on water and snacks for the long canoe ride ahead. The Embera tribe is one of several indigenous groups in Panama.

Anne Gordon, our guide and an American, is married to an Embera fellow and so provided a unique perspective of cultural and family life in the village. She was great!

Rio Juan de Pequini is in the Parque Nacional Chagres. Above, a cormorant tree?

Several indigenous villages are located along the river, however this was our stop.

A warm, muscial  welcome awaited us as we debarked from the canoe.

After a round of introductions, we went to the meeting hut for a village orientation which explained a bit about the people and their culture. Marcie gingerly climbs the notched-log  ladder.

David inspects a basket in the process of being woven. All the materials are natural including the dyes used to color the fibers.Tagua and wood carvings were also discussed.

Fay washes her hands in water and fragrant herbs.

Lunch was great...patacones (plantain) and fish (tilapia) served in  plantain leaves cleverly fashioned into disposable dishes.

After lunch, Fay and Marcie had their ankles tatooed with hagua, a temporary dye derived from a local plant. As advertised, it only lasted 2 days.

David joins in a lively dance exhibition.

A slow sloth

We took a walk in the forest with Anne's father-in-law. He pointed out various plants and herbs and explained their uses. Many were for different types of snake bites..."this one is for bites that bleed"..."this one is for bites that turn black"..."this one is for bites that cause breathing problems". We concluded there were too many venomous snakes. The only one we saw, however, was a harmless casadora.

We also had the opportunity to "shop". We all bought baskets and crafts, but my favorite purchase was the monkey mask above made by Ermelinda, also pictured above. The masks are worn by the shamans during various ceremonies.

A vibrant "hot lips" plant.

It was obvious that the children are the center of the community...well cared for and greatly loved.

The kids weren't shy.

Woman typically wear wrap-around skirts called "parumas"...even the little tiny girls were decked out for our visit.

A rousing game of basketball. They weren't much for dribbling (on the dirt), but they certainly were good ball handlers and hoop shooters. We appreciated the fact that the American influence here was something other than fast food and video games.

A group shot and it was time to leave. All in all, a very full day and still a long canoe ride back to our starting point. We felt we learned alot about these indigenous people who inhabit the jungle and perhaps shared with them a bit about us. See our recommendation on Trip Advisor. Fay and Doug left the next morning to return to Maryland. We readied Cups to leave for the Islas Perlas (Pearl Islands) and a trip up the Rios Sabana and Iglesias in the Darien Jungle.

This chica loved Doug's hat!

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